


The Alchemist Twins

by KatieBug1998



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Gen, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-21
Updated: 2018-09-15
Packaged: 2019-06-30 12:28:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15751674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KatieBug1998/pseuds/KatieBug1998
Summary: The year is 1910. Edward Elric and his twin sister, (y/n) are 11 years old; their younger brother Alphonse is 10. The brothers and their sister attempt to use human transmutation, the great taboo among alchemists, to bring back their mother. It does not go as planned.





	1. The Greatest Sin

**Author's Note:**

> I'm trying my first multi-chapter fic. I'll try to update weekly but no promises. I'll try to keep it canonical with certain chapters taken from episodes, but I'll also add my own stuff. Suggestions are very much welcome! 
> 
> Enjoy!

"That's everything," you say triumphantly.

"Now all we need is a little soul data," Ed adds.

You each make a little cut on the tip of your fingers and let the blood drip into the mixture. Then the three of you kneel down, you next to your twin Ed and Ed next to Al. Simultaneously, you all put your palms on the ground.

"This is it," Ed states with a smile.

"Let's do it," Al says.

The transmutation circle lights up and you're filled with excitement. It looks like it's working! But, then, "Ed, something doesn't feel right." Al's voice comes out small and frightened. Something black that looks similar to smoke starts to rise from the edges of the circle. An eye opens, taking up almost all of the circle.

Then Al screams. Tiny hands touch his limbs, making them disintegrate. You and Ed scream for your brother. Ed's scream quickly turns from one of fear to one of pain. His own left leg is beginning to disintegrate just like Al's body. You attempt to yell Ed's name but your throat feels like it's on fire; it burns so bad that you can't even say anything.

Next thing you know, you're in a place like a huge, white expanse. You're filled with a sense of unease. What is this place? What were just doing? You turn around to see a door behind you. It's huge, probably ten times your height or more. It has a symbol on it that looks sort of like a staff, and there's writing on it that looks kind of similar to Latin.

"Hello," a voice says behind you. You whip around to see who it is. It's strange, like a silhouette of a person outlined with lots of small, black dots. The voice echoes, making it sound even more menacing. "(y/n) Elric," it states.

"How do you know who I am? Who are you?"

"I'm glad you asked. I am called by many names. I am the world. I am the universe. I am God. I am the truth. I am all. I am one. And I am also –" the thing raises it's hand, slowly and fluidly, to point at you "– you."

The door opens loudly behind you. You turn to see the same eye as before, the one that was in the transmutation circle. The thing continues speaking. "You have dared to knock on the door. Now, the door is open." The same hands that reached out and took Al and took Ed's leg come out from the door, wrapping around your body, pulling you in. You scream and struggle but it does no good. The last thing you hear before the doors slam is the voice saying, "I'll show you what you wanted. I will show you the truth."

You fall, seemingly endlessly. Images fly past you, or maybe you're flying past them. Knowledge fills your mind, so much of it that it feels like your head might explode. It's like all of the information in the whole world is flooding into you. You plead and plead for it to stop, but it won't. Then, the pleading stops. Not because you've given up but because no sound is coming out. And it hurts, burning all the way down your throat like it's on fire. It's then that you understand that the hands that took things from your brothers are taking something from you too.

Suddenly, you're back in the white expanse, staring directly at the thing from before. "How was it?" the ominous yet almost sensual voice asks.

"What –?"

"–just happened?" the voice continues. Except, it's not the same as before it's– "I just took your voice." The thing grins widely and keeps talking. "It was your toll. It's the law of equivalent exchange."

That's when you wake up, to bright light and the sound of Ed's screams. "He's gone! What have I done?"

Still kneeling like before with your hands flat on the ground, you slowly look to the side. Where your younger brother should be, there's only clothes and shoes. He's really gone. Then your eyes are drawn to your other brother, collapsed on the ground, crying out for your mother. You follow his gaze to the center of the room. Where your mom should be is something not human. It's alive but clearly not your mom. Its thin arm reaches out but almost immediately falls to the ground. Blood flows on the ground. It's already dead.

"No!" Ed shouts. "This is wrong, this isn't what we wanted!"

You rush over to Ed, grabbing his shoulders. Looking down, you see that his leg is gone, it ends above where his knee should be. There's too much blood, blood everywhere. You try to say his name, draw his attention toward you, but nothing comes out. He pushes you aside and struggles to turn himself to face Al.

There's nothing for you to do. You're only a child and there's no one to help you. You want to tell Ed that you're going to the Rockbell's to get help but you still can't speak and there's no time to write anything down.

So, you run. You run as fast as your legs can carry you. Thankfully, Pinako is still awake when you get there. At first, she seems angry at you bursting in the door so late at night, but that quickly changes once she looks at your face. She gets up from the table where she was working on some automail and runs over to you. "What happened?"

You just shake your head and point in the general direction of your house.

"Winry!" Granny shouts. She places a hand on your shoulder and squeezes. You continue breathing harshly, trying to catch your breath. "Winry!" Granny yells again, louder this time.

Winry appears at the top of the stairs, hair out of place and eyes half closed. "What is it?"

"You go get the police and tell them to meet us at the Elric's house."

You tug on her sleeve and lift up your hand, showing her the blood, Ed's blood, on it. "Tell them to get a doctor too," she instructs.

The two of you leave then and run back to the house. Granny calls out for Ed when you walk inside.

"In here," says a weak voice, hardly loud enough to hear.

A few rooms down, you find Ed lying on the floor in his own blood, but his leg is bandaged, so most of the blood is coming from his right arm, severed above the elbow. You collapse on your knees next to him and start to cry even more then you have been. You vaguely hear Granny behind you say that she's going to get more bandages and that everything will be alright.

Ed lifts his left hand up toward you weakly and you grasp it in your own. "Don't cry," he says quietly. A hint of a smile appears on his face. "I got him back. I got Al back." His eyes wander to his right where one of the suits of armor lays. "He should be waking up soon."

Then, you notice it, the blood seal inside the armor. Ed bound Al's soul to it.

Your lips form Al's name but no words come out. "(y/n)?" You look back down to see Edward staring up at you, a look of confusion on his face. "Is something wrong?"

You touch your throat and shake your head.

"You saw it too." He sighs. "It took my leg, Al's body, my arm... and it took your voice." His eyes start to close. "I'm sorry." 

 


	2. Waiting

You sit at Ed's side as Granny wraps his arm in bandages. You're kneeling on the ground, hunched over, and holding Ed's limp hand. Silent sobs wrack your body. Al comes over. He sits down and puts Ed's head in his lap; Ed looks so small there. You imagine that Al would be crying too if he had a body.

There's so much blood everywhere, a trail of it leading to where your brother is laying; Ed's face is so pale. He's sweating and breathing hard even in his state of unconsciousness. How will he survive this? You start to sob harder, making your whole body shake. Al reaches over and puts a hand on your shoulder. It's surprisingly soft, the only part of him not made out of metal.

Granny ties off the bandage. She stands and you cringe at the dark red blood staining her hands and clothes. "You two stay here. I'm going outside to wait for the police."

Winry runs in soon after that. "What happened? I saw Granny waiting outside for the police –" She stops abruptly at the sight of the three of you on the floor. "Ed!" She runs up beside you and falls to her knees looking down at Ed in shock.

"We tried to bring Mom back," Al says quietly.

"Wait, _Al_?" Winry looks at the suit of armor, her jaw dropping. "That's your voice, but it can't be..." 

Al nods, the armor clanking as he does so. "It's equivalent exchange. Parts of Ed's body, my whole body, (y/n)'s voice – it was all in exchange for getting our mom back, only... it didn't work."

Winry's eyes start to fill with tears as she looks down at your twin brother. "You tried human transmutation?" 

"Yes," Al says shamefully. 

"Will he be okay?"

"We don't know," Al says quietly.

As you all sit around Ed, the only sounds are Winry's crying and Ed's labored breathing. The police finally get there after what seems like hours and everything moves fast after that. One of the officers scoops up Ed's limp body and carries him outside. The three of you run out after him. Pinako gets in the back of the car. The officer gently lays Ed down beside her before closing the door and getting in the passenger seat. You run up and slam your hand three times on the back of the car to get his attention. When the officer looks back at you, you point at yourself and then the car. "Sorry, kid. There's no more room. We'll send someone to pick you up and take you to the hospital." With that, he closes the door and they speed away.

Your legs give way and fall to your knees.

 


	3. Hospital

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You finally arrive at the hospital.

It isn't until dawn that someone comes to pick all of you up. Winry had fallen asleep with her head on your shoulder. You shake her gently to wake her. When she's off your shoulder, you take off at a run so you can get to the car faster. The car goes to the side of the road so it can turn around. You run and get in the front seat. Winry and Al follow close behind and get in the back.

"You the Elrics?" The policeman asks.

You nod.

"I'm Winry. They live with me and Granny."

"Alright." The police officer puts the car in gear and starts driving.

"Is Ed okay?" Al asks.

"Sorry, I don't know. I just started my shift and they told me to come pick you kids up."

The drive is long. Resembol isn't a big city so there isn't a hospital, only a small clinic. The nearest hospital is a town over. The sun is a lot higher and brighter in the sky when you get there. It doesn't make sense for it to be sunny on a day like this.

When you finally get there, the officer escorts you inside. "Can you show these kids to Edward Elric's room?" he asks a nurse.

"Sure thing," she says with a smile. The nurse takes the officer's place and leads you to Ed's room. Your heart is pounding, blood rushing through your head.

"Granny!" Winry shouts as you enter the room. She runs to hug Pinako, but you stop short. Your legs begin to shake, mouth going dry.

"Granny," Al says, a tremble in his voice. "Where's Ed?"

"He's in surgery."

You collapse on the floor, shaking hands covering your face as you cry. The tears are a mix of sadness and relief.

"Is he gonna be okay?" Al asks.

"Yes," Granny says. "The doctor said we got him here just in time. They said he should be back soon." A minute passes in which you can hear a couple arguing somewhere down the hall before Granny asks, "(y/n), do you want to sit down over here?"

You sniff and wipe your eyes before looking up. Winry is sitting on her grandma's lap, hugging her with her face buried in her chest. You shake your head. You're not sure your legs would be able to support you long enough to stand let alone walk the few steps it would take to get to her.

So, the three of you sit and wait. As with this whole thing, ever since the moment your, Ed, and Al's hands touched the ground in your house, time passes slowly but also quickly. You're convinced it's been days since the police picked you up but it also feels like it was only ten minutes ago.

Surely they should be back by now.

More time passes.

Then more, until finally:

"Ed!" Your head shoots up at the sound of Al's voice.

A bed is being wheeled into the room. Laying on it is your twin, Ed. You stand up, legs barely strong enough to hold you and walk the two steps to the side of Ed's bed. He looks better, all things considered. His hair is a tangled mess, but it's not damp with sweat like before. He's not as pale. It almost looks like he's sleeping peacefully rather than simply passed out from the drugs in his system.

• • •

The next two days are spent at your brother's bedside. Granny tries to make you leave, to go home to sleep and have a real meal, but you aren't leaving. Words aren't needed on your end to tell her that you're staying and there's nothing she can do.

Edward wakes up sometime in the morning of the third day. Sitting in the chair to his left, you see his fingers twitch and his mouth move. He says something quietly. You lean in and this time hear him say, "Mom." Then again, louder and more panicked. "Mom." Soon, he starts tossing and turning in the hospital bed that is much too big for him.

Granny is sitting in a chair opposite you. She reaches out to touch him but pulls back after seeing the bandages. It's as if she's thinking he's too delicate to touch. "Ed? Ed, can you hear me?"

He starts to cry. "Mom, please! It hurts!"

"I'll go get a doctor," Winry says frantically.

Al's armor clanks from behind you as he comes over. "Brother?" he asks hesitantly.

Ed doesn't seem to hear; he just keeps rolling on the bed and crying all the while with his eyes shut tight.

You grab your brother's hand and squeeze, wishing you could give him the comfort in the form of words that Al is trying to. Ed's eyes stay closed as he continues to cry and thrash on the bed.

A doctor and nurse rush in then followed by Winry. "Excuse me," the doctor says before all but shoving you and Al out of the way.

You can't see what he's doing, but thankfully, the nurse explains. "We're giving him something for the pain; it should help him calm down too."

It only takes a few seconds for the medicine to kick in. Ed's body stills and his face relaxes as the pain dulls. It looks like he's asleep again. You let out a sigh of relief.

The doctor looks at Pinako. "We'll have to start weaning him off the painkillers soon, I'm afraid. It isn't good for him to be unconscious this long. He needs to eat or he'll start to become malnourished." He lifts his hand to look at his watch then puts two fingers on the inside of Ed's wrist.

"Should I check his wounds, sir?" the nurse asks.

The doctor nods, still focusing on taking Ed's pulse. "Go ahead."

Granny turns to you, Al, and Winry. "Why don't the three of you go outside so I can talk with the doctor." _So you don't have to see this,_  is implied. 

You point at Ed, hoping the gesture says, "I want to stay in here." It's not like you hadn't seen it before back at the house. 

Granny understands but she still says sternly, "(y/n), go with your brother and Winry."

You don't argue this time; the fight drained out of you at the sight of Ed's pain.

Winry and Al stay standing as you sit on the hallway floor. They start talking but their voices turn to white noise as what just happens replays in your head. You can still hear Ed crying out and see him thrashing on the bed in pain.

A hand rests on your shoulder. "(y/n), are you okay?" Winry asks. 

You press your lips together, trying to stop them from trembling. You nod then shake your head, deciding to be honest with your friend. Winry pulls you into a tight hug. "It's okay." She shushes you. "He's gonna be fine." But her voice is shaking and you feel her tears soak your shirt just as yours are doing to hers.

• • •

Edward wakes up a couple times during the day, but it's never for long and he's never coherent. It's not until the next morning that he fully wakes up. It's just the two of you there with Granny and Winry back at the house, probably about to leave to come back, and Al sitting outside somewhere, getting some air, as he said. 

"(y/n)," someone says. You look up and realize it's Ed who said it, his voice is so low and rough from all the sleep and pain that it's almost unrecognizable.

You sit up and smile tearfully. You want to hug him, but you're afraid of hurting him.

Ed's gold eyes scan the room. "Hospital?" he asks, almost to himself. "What happened?" Then, remembering, he looks to his right side. "Oh," he states. Turning toward you, he asks, "Where's Al?"

 _Outside_ , you mouth.

"Hey." Ed shifts, uncomfortable, wincing in pain. "It's strange, isn't it?" He looks back at his right side. "I feel like I'm moving my fingers, but nothing's there to move. My brain is sending the signals but it's gone." He looks back at you. "Is that what it's like for you, (y/n)? You know how to do what you want to do, but you can't do it?"

You simply nod.

"Does it hurt?" There's guilt more than anything in his tone.

You nod again. Now that Ed's better, you're really starting to feel your own pain.  You wonder if the pain will last forever or if it will fade like Edward's hopefully will.

"I'm sorry." This, Ed says clearly, his voice stronger than before.

You shake your head and point between the two of you.

"Yeah, I know all three of us did it, but I'm the older brother. I should've known better."

You hold up four fingers.

Ed rolls his eyes gently. "Yeah, yeah. Older by only four minutes, I know."

You touch Edward's shoulder with your fingertips and stand.

"Wait, where are you going?" You hear the true meaning behind his words, pleading for you to stay.

You point behind you to the door and mouth, _Doctor_.

Ed closes his eyes. "Do you have to?"

You tap his shoulder once. He opens his eyes and you nod at him.

"Whatever."

You head outside and find Ed's doctor fairly quickly. He sees you and recognizes you right away. "Is your brother awake?" he asks.

You nod and start back to the room. The doctor gets a nurse and follows you to Ed's room. Your brother is asleep, or at least appears to be, when you get back. The doctor goes to the side of Ed's bed; you stay at the back. "Edward, are you awake?" the doctor asks.

Edward doesn't respond, just lays there with his eyes closed. You smack his foot with the back of your hand, knowing better than to think he's fallen back asleep. Ed opens his eyes to glare at you.

"Edward," the doctor says again.  You nod toward the doctor, silently telling Ed to pay attention; he obeys and looks at the man. "How do you feel?"

"Great. Never better."

The doctor seems slightly surprised that such a level of snark can come from such a small, injured boy. "Pain level? Scale of one to ten, ten being worst."

"I don't know, doc, why don't you try having two of your limbs chopped off and tell me how you feel." All this is said monotone with a hint of sarcasm.

"Sorry. We have to ask." Eager to end the conversation at least for now, the man takes his stethoscope from around his neck and puts it to Edward's chest, listening. The nurse holds out a thermometer and Ed lets her put it under his tongue. He closes his eyes, looking like he might actually fall asleep this time.

The nurse says to you, "Do you want us to call your family to let them know he's awake?"

You shake your head no. They should be here soon enough. You would go and get Al but you also don't even want to think about leaving Ed's side.

"Can you sit up for me, Edward?" the doctor asks. Ed inhales deeply, preparing himself. "Nurse, will you help?"

"Yes, sir." The nurse puts a hand behind Ed's back, very careful not to touch where the bandages are. "Ready?"

Ed nods. It's a struggle; you see his fist clench as he tries to push himself up. With the help of the two medical professionals, he ends up hunched over. The nurse takes the thermometer out, noticing that Ed's breathing hard through his nose. As soon as it's out, Ed takes in a deep, shuddering breath and exhales sharply. He continues breathing hard, coming close to hyperventilating. The doctor doesn't bother asking Edward to control his breathing or anything so he can hear. Then the doctor says he's done and Ed is lowered down onto the bed again. His eyes stay closed. He's clearly focusing on his breathing and trying not to pass out. Sweat beads on his forehead and his lips are pale. He groans, almost unconsciously. He reaches over and grips his right arm just above where it ends. "How soon can I get out of here?" he says between labored breaths.

The doctor and nurse make eye contact as though Edward is insane, which he might be. "Not before the end of the week," says the doctor, carefully avoiding giving him an exact timeframe.

"I can't believe I have to deal with this bullshit," Ed mutters, eyes opening to stare at the ceiling.

You smack your hand against the bed railing, drawing your brother's attention, and, forgetting your current situation, you instinctually begin to chastise your brother, mouth forming his name, but no words come out, instead you're left with a burning sensation. Your hand flies to your throat, pressing on it in an attempt to alleviate the pain.

"(y/n)?" Edward asks gently, his tone and demeanor suddenly different than before.

"Are you alright?" the nurse asks.

You wave your hand, trying to communicate that you're fine.

"Maybe you should get checked out," Ed suggests.

You shake your head, making it clear that you don't want that.

"What's wrong?" the doctor asks.

Neither of you says anything, you because you can't and Ed because he doesn't know what to say. How are you supposed to answer that question? You realize now that you don't even know what Granny said to them about why Ed is the way he is.

You shake your head at your twin, slowly and less insistent than last time.

Ed exhales sharply. "Nothing," he finally answers. "She's just been sick, and her throat hurts. It's nothing," he repeats.

"That's not what your grandmother told me," the doctor says suspiciously. "You do look a bit feverish," he adds. "Are you sure it's nothing?" Now that you think about it, you do feel hot and you've been sleeping more than usual and not really eating. You'd thought it was just because of the stress. 

"It couldn't hurt to get checked out," Ed says.

You nod at him in resignation.

"All right then, sit over here," Ed's doctor instructs.

"I'll get another thermometer," the nurse says.

Once you're sitting in the chair beside Edward's bed, the doctor asks, "How have you been feeling? Tired? Nauseous and/or lack of appetite." 

You nod. 

"All three?" 

You nod again, feeling guilty at the look on Edward's face. Even though you weren't hiding it on purpose, you still feel like you've disappointed him somehow. 

"Okay," the doctor says. "I'll start my exam now." He takes off his stethoscope and puts it to your chest, listening and occasionally telling you to take a deep breath and then exhale. 

You can tell that Edward, for the life of him, wants to stay awake, waiting until the doctor gives you the all-clear or a diagnosis, but his eyes are half-closed and his breathing has slowed. You want to tell him to sleep, that you'll be fine, but you know it would be of no use even if you could say it out loud. 

The nurse comes in and gives you a thermometer. As the doctor moves to listen to your back, the nurse starts taking your blood pressure. It's uncomfortable, the cuff squeezing your arm too tight. They finish at the same time, the doctor sitting back, removing his stethoscope, and placing it around his neck, and the nurse letting the cuff deflate while taking off her own stethoscope. She reads off some meaningless numbers which make the doctor frown slightly. Then she takes out the thermometer and says, "102" which is not meaningless to you. Your heart drops, knowing what this means. It's not that you're disappointed at being sick, but that it means you'll have to leave Edward. After all, there's no arguing with – 

"What's going on?" a voice asks. All eyes are drawn to the door where Granny is standing, a scowl on his face with her hands on her hips. 

The doctor looks nervous as he quickly stands.

"(y/n)'s sick," Ed interjects helpfully.

The doctor straightens his lab coat. "Yes," he says with some hesitation. "It appears she has an infection. I was going to put her on antibiotics and send her home for bedrest." 

Granny looks torn as she walks toward you. Should she yell at you for not saying anything or yell at the doctor for not calling her first? The nurse quickly gathers her things and rushes out, clearly not wanting to be a part of this. 

"I guess it's time for you to go back to the house then," Granny says definitively. You sag back in the seat, defeated. "You wait here while I talk with the doctor." 

You look down at your hands, trying not to cry. After they're gone, Ed says your name a few times. You don't look at him, even when you see his hand reaching out to you. "Dammit, (y/n), listen to me." There's no real anger in his voice but the big brother command is there so you meet his eyes. "Listen to Granny. Go back to the house and get some rest. I'll be fine. Hell, I might even be back before you're better." He smiles, attempting to be comforting. He begins painfully pushing himself up into a sitting position. You start to stop him, but he says, "No, I got it, I'm fine." When he's sitting up, he holds out his left arm for a hug. You put your right arm over his left and your left around his side, very careful not to go near his bandages. "It's okay," he says quietly. 

You must really look like you need it; Edward's never been a hugger. You step back after a minute. "Get better," he says with a slight smile. "I'll see you again before you know it." 

 


End file.
